Dates shift a couple of weeks with the weather and your part of the county, so treat this as a guide rather than a deadline.
January to May
January
Keep foot traffic off frosty or frozen grass. Check shrubs for branches broken by ice or snow. Plan new beds and book spring work.
February
Prune most trees and shrubs on a mild day while they are dormant, but wait on spring bloomers. Sharpen mower blades and order seed and supplies.
March
Cut back ornamental grasses and perennial stalks before new growth starts. Rake out debris and get a soil test. Make the first mow once the grass is actively growing.
April
Apply crabgrass pre-emergent if you are not seeding, often around the time forsythia blooms. Mulch beds once the soil warms. Divide perennials and plant trees and shrubs. Hold tender plants until the last frost has passed.
May
Mow at 3 to 4 inches. Plant annuals and warm-season vegetables once nights stay warm. Prune azalea, forsythia and lilac right after they finish blooming.
June to August
June
Water deeply in the early morning if rain falls short, aiming for about an inch a week in total. Keep mowing high and leave the clippings. Deadhead and stake perennials.
July
Do not fertilize a cool-season lawn in the heat. Mow high and water new plantings. A lawn that turns brown in a dry spell is often dormant, not dead.
August
Plan the fall lawn work: order seed, test the soil and book aeration. Pull weeds before they go to seed. Skip major pruning.
September to December
September
Aerate and overseed from early September to mid-October. Fall is the main feeding season for cool-season lawns. It is also a good time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials.
October
Finish seeding by mid-October. Keep fallen leaves off new grass. Plant spring bulbs, and mulch beds after the leaves drop.
November
Keep up with falling leaves. Lower the mower for the last cuts and cut back spent perennials. Maryland limits lawn fertilizer timing, including a winter cutoff that starts in mid-November, so finish lawn feeding before then and check the current rules. Drain and store hoses.
December
Finish leaf cleanup and clean and store tools. Brush heavy snow off evergreens gently. Go easy with de-icer near beds and lawn.